Dgft

Govt set to relax rules under Advance Authorisation scheme for exporters

Exporters may soon be eligible for Advance Authorisation benefits even if goods are shipped before licence issue, provided the Bill of Entry is filed after the licence date

Govt restores Rodtep export benefits for SEZs, EOUs starting June 1

Move reverses February decision and offers relief to exporters in SEZs and EOUs; FIEO calls it critical support amid global uncertainties and competitiveness issues

Imports of permanent magnets from China resume, 30 consignments cleared

India resumes imports of Chinese permanent magnets after DGFT certifies compliance with non-defence and non-US use, addressing trade tensions and supply concerns

India curbs key Bangladeshi imports via land ports amid trade tensions

India imposes port restrictions on Bangladeshi imports after Dhaka blocks Indian yarn; relations worsen post Sheikh Hasina's exit, raising concerns over regional trade ties

Inspection certificate for rice exports limited to certain EU nations: DGFT

India on Monday said the requirement for a certificate of inspection from government authorities for rice exports is limited to certain European Union (EU) member states. However, the exports to other European countries are exempted from this requirement for six months, the DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) notification said. "The requirement of a certificate of inspection from Export Inspection Council (EIC)/Export Inspection Agency for rice (basmati and non-basmati) exports is limited to EU member states, the UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland," the DGFT notification said. EIC is the official export certification body of India which ensures quality and safety of products exported from India. The UK, Netherlands, Italy, and Germany are some of the major importers of rice from India, which is a leading exporter of the grain.

Customs should not act while redemption application is pending with DGFT

Rule 53 of the SEZ Rules, 2006 has no provision to count any supply from a SEZ unit to a bonded warehouse as earnings for the purpose of NFE calculations

Govt imposes export ban on raw human hair priced below $65 per kg

The government on Monday imposed export ban on raw human hair if the prices are below USD 65 per kg, according to a notification. In January 2022, the government imposed restrictions on these exports. "The export policy of raw human hair is amended from restricted to prohibited. However, export shall be free if FOB (Free on Board) value is USD 65 or above per kilogram," the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification. The decision was taken on the back of reports of smuggling of raw human hair to countries like Myanmar and China, which is hurting local industries and exports. In India, West Bengal is the major hub for the industry besides Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. Major competitors of India are China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar. Raw human hair are mainly collected from households and temples of these states to primarily cater to the beauty market globally. Two types of hair are collected in India - remy and non-remy hair. Remy hair, the b

Plan is to create separate agency to implement BharatTradeNet: DGFT

The Budget announcement to set up BharatTradeNet as a unified platform for trade documentation and financing solutions is an ambitious proposal and there is a plan to create a not-for-profit company to implement this project, a senior government official said on Tuesday. Proposed on the lines of Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the platform will help in moving towards complete digitisation of the entire range of trade documentation and then allow seamless operability of different agencies which are involved in this, Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Santosh Kumar Saranagi told reporters here. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said in the Budget speech that this will be set up as a unified platform for trade documentation and financing solutions and it will complement the Unified Logistics Interface Platform. "So this is a highly ambitious proposal but we are ambitioning to do something which is a UIDAI kind of programme in future...Idea is to create a separate agency .

DGFT upgrades platform for issuing electronic certificate of origin

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the commerce ministry, has launched an upgraded system for issuance of electronically generated certificate of origin to help exporters, an official statement said on Monday. Certificate of origin is a key document required for exports to those countries with which India has trade agreements. An exporter has to submit the certificate at the landing port of the importing country. The document is important to claim duty concessions under free trade agreements. This certificate is essential to prove where the goods come from. The commerce ministry said this upgraded platform offers features such as multi-user access, which enables exporters to authorise multiple users under a single Importer Exporter Code (IEC). Additionally, the system now supports Aadhaar-based e-signing alongside digital signature tokens. "The DGFT has launched the enhanced Certificate of Origin (eCoO) 2.0 system, a significant upgrade designed to simplify the

India's regulatory control system ensures transparency in exports: DGFT

The country's regulatory system is ensuring a robust and transparent process for exports of high-tech goods, a senior official said on Thursday. Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Santosh Kumar Sarangi said that IT-enabled processes, seamless licensing, and industry outreach will drive these exports while maintaining strong regulatory oversight. Speaking at the National Conference on Strategic Trade Controls (NCSTC) 2025 at Bengaluru, Sarangi "emphasized the importance of India's export control system in ensuring a robust, transparent process for high-tech exports". As part of the country's strategic trade control system and in consonance with the provisions of international conventions, India regulates the exports of dual-use items, nuclear-related products, and military goods, including software and technology under the list. This list is notified by the DGFT under the Foreign Trade Policy. According to an official statement, the conference focuses on underscoring the ...

DGFT updates export policy for every product to promote ease of doing biz

The Commerce Ministry's arm DGFT on Monday updated the export policy for all products, specifying detailed conditions for each item to enhance the ease of doing business in the country. Earlier specific policy conditions were only outlined for goods which were subject to certain restrictions or fell under some norms. "Schedule-II (Export Policy)' in sync with Finance Act 2024 dated August 16, 2024, has been notified," the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification. The updated schedule contains the current export policy of all ITC (HS) codes, along with specific policy conditions (if any) to be fulfilled, it added. An official said this would help in knowing policy conditions for all the products. In international trade parlance, every product is categorised under the Indian Trade Classification (Harmonised System) - ITC (HS). It helps in the systematic classification of goods across the globe.

Govt makes stakeholder consultation mandatory while formulating FTP

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has made amendments to the Foreign Trade Policy to make consultations with stakeholders for their views on draft policies mandatory, an official statement said on Friday. The changes also provide the mechanism to inform reasons for not accepting views, suggestions, comments or feedback concerning the formulation or amendment of the Foreign Trade Policy, the commerce ministry said. "The DGFT on Thursday notified amendment in the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023, to include Para...to bring legal backing in the FTP to make it necessary to do consultation with stakeholders to seek views, suggestions, comments or feedback from relevant stakeholders, including importers/exporters/industry experts concerning the formulation or amendment of the FTP," it said. The key objective of the amendments is to encourage the participation of all stakeholders in the decision-making process before introducing or changing policy and procedures affecting the ...

Govt imposes import restrictions on low ash metallurgical coke for 6 months

The government has imposed import restrictions on low ash metallurgical coke for six months from January 1 to June 30, 2025, according to a notification. The government has also imposed quantitative restrictions (QR) on the imports from certain countries, including Australia, China, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, and the UK. Based on the recommendations of the directorate general of trade remedies (DGTR) in April this year, "....import of low ash metallurgical coke have been placed under restriction as per the country-wise QR for a period of six months, effective from January 1, 2025 up to June 30, 2025," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. It said the imports would be allowed only against an import authorisation issued by the DGFT for the specified country during the six months. However, the coke with high ash content (above 18 per cent) is outside the scope of this restriction. The country wise ...

DGFT surprises exporters with annual returns under the Rodtep scheme

The DGFT wants the exporters to submit the data for the year 2023-24 by the March 31, 2025. Not furnishing the ARR will lead to denial of Rodtep benefits

Registration certificate not mandatory for exporters seeking benefits: DGFT

The commerce ministry's arm DGFT has clarified that registration-cum-membership certificate is not mandatory for exporters to seek benefits under schemes like duty drawback and remission of state levies. According to the Foreign Trade Policy, a Registration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC) is required for exporters in order to avail benefits under the policy. Holding the certificate can also help exporters in availing benefits with respect to customs and excise. The certificate is issued by export promotion councils and commodity boards. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said that schemes such as duty drawback, rebate of state and central taxes and levies (RoSCTL) and remission of duties and taxes on export products (RoDTEP) fall under the category of remission-based schemes. These schemes are aimed at remitting duties or taxes on exported goods. For these schemes, "the requirement of an RCMC does not apply. Exporters can claim benefits under these schemes witho

DGFT notifies policy conditions for exports of certain halal meat, products

The government on Tuesday notified policy conditions for export of certain halal meat and its products and this will come into effect from October 16 this year. Notifying the conditions, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said specified meat and meat products will be allowed to be exported as halal certified to 15 countries, only if such goods are produced or processed and/or packaged in a facility certified under the 'India Conformity Assessment Scheme (I-CAS) - Halal' of the Quality Council of India (QCI). The 15 countries are Bahrain, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Jordan, Oman, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Turkey, and the UAE. After the shipments, the exporter will have to provide the valid certificate to the buyer in the importing country. "Policy conditions for export of specified halal meat and meat products are notified," the DGFT said. In April 2023, with the aim of streamlining the halal certification process for exp

Defence production dept authorised to issue licenses for munitions export

The commerce ministry's arm DGFT on Tuesday said the Department of Defence Production has been authorised as the licensing authority for export of all items falling under the munitions category for military end-use. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has notified the updated SCOMET (Special Chemicals Organisms Materials Equipment and Technologies) list for 2024. It said that India's export control list (SCOMET) has been updated, incorporating the recent changes in the control lists of the multilateral export control regimes, and certain policy amendments on the basis of inputs from relevant government organisations and stakeholders. "With the recent update, DGFT has also authorised the Department of Defence Production (DDP), Ministry of Defence, to be the licensing authority for export of all items falling under Category 6 of SCOMET for military end use," it said in a statement. Category 6 list includes munitions such as weapons, rifles and magazines. India is a membe

No import of milk, its products under TRQ undertaken since 2014-15: DGFT

India has not provided any tariff rate quota (TRQ) for the import of milk and its products since 2014-15, a senior commerce ministry official said on Monday. Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Santosh Kumar Sarangi said that in the last 20 years, the import of milk and milk products like skimmed milk powder under TRQ have been affected only in three years. "No imports of milk and milk products under TRQ have been undertaken since 2014-15," he told reporters here. Post 2011-12, there has been no import of skimmed milk powder imports by utilising the TRQ route. The TRQ is a mechanism that allows imports of a set quantity of specific products at a lower customs duty. Tariff quotas are used on a wide range of products but most are in the agriculture sector. Cereals, meat, fruit and vegetables, and dairy products are the most common. He said that there are no applications for TRQ for these products pending as on date. Sarangi also rejected a news report stating that the Governme

DGFT, Revenue dept working on dedicated hubs to boost e-commerce exports

In a bid to boost India's e-commerce exports, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is working with the Department of Revenue to establish designated e-commerce hubs across the country to streamline the process for online export shipments. The country's e-commerce exports currently stand at USD 2 billion as compared to China's staggering USD 350 billion, according to industry sources. The government aims at bridging the gap by establishing a supportive e-commerce ecosystem, they said. "A lot of streamlining is required in this regard. We are working with the Department of Revenue to have designated e-commerce hubs so that clearance of goods happens fast," Director General of Foreign Trade Santosh Kumar Sarangi told PTI. He said these hubs will have facilities like dedicated customs and security checks, allowing cleared parcels to proceed through a green channel at airports, eliminating the need for further inspections. This approach mirrors best practices observed in oth

Export projection for FY25 underway, working on ease of doing biz: DGFT

The Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on Friday said that export projections for the current fiscal are still being finalised while efforts are on to improve the ease of doing business to meet the government's goal of achieving USD 2 trillion in exports by 2030. Total exports in FY'24 were USD 778 billion, showing a marginal increase from the previous year's exports of USD 776 billion. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) has estimated that the country's total exports of goods and services for the current fiscal year could be around USD 890-910 billion. "Export target for current fiscal is not yet finalised," DGFT Santosh Kumar Sarangi told reporters after interacting with the exporters of Kolkata. He said that the DGFT's office has submitted a proposal for the extension of the Interest Equalization Scheme, which is set to end in June but it is not yet approved. The scheme provides pre and post-shipment Rupee export credit, offering a two per cent interest ..